LONG AIRWAYS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 603, 4 March 1929, Page 9

LONG AIRWAYS

Great Aviation Age is at Hand Swift Progress (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) LONDON, Saturday. An idea of the great air age of today is given in the “Aerial A.8.C.,” which has just been issued. It reveals that more than 73,000 miles of airways are organised in the world, serving 400 cities and towns. In 1919 there were only 3,000 miles of airways, but in 1924 the total had grown to 21,000, in 1925 to 35,000, in 1926 to 5i,000, in 1927 to 55,000, and in 1928 to 73,000. When the first daily service between London and Paris was started nine and a-half years ago, a 460-li.p. power airplane carried two passengers and a pilot. To-day tliree-motored airplanes, developing more than 1,000h.p. each, carry 18 passengers and a crew of three. In 1919 only 20 passengers were carried across the English Channel by air each week, whereas to-day the average is 2,000 a week in and out of London. An air ticket can be bought at Croydon for a trip to Persia, Northern Africa, or Moscow. The last mentioned journey now only takes 29 hours from London. LONDON TO INDIA

Next month imperial Airways, Ltd., will open a service from London by which India will be reached in six days. This will give Britain the longest organised air route in the world. Further extensions are being planned across India to Port Darwin, Australia. The time-tables show that it will be possible for urgent mails to go by air from London to Sydney by a day and night relay system roughly in 180 hours. The schedules of the various stages are as follow: London to Cairo, 35 hours; Cairo to Karachi, 33 hours; Karachi to Rangoon, 30 hours; Rangoon to Singapore, 18 hours; Singapore to Darwin, 33 hours; Darwin to Sydney, 30 hours. FLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN

Ten thousand children will be taken for flights by Sir Alan Cobliam next summer through the generosity of an anonymous donor. “I shall carry out the flights in a big air liner called the Spirit of Adventure,” said Sir Alan.

“There will be no stunting. The children will be taken from over 13 chosen schools to be named by the authorities, provided the parents consent. The idea is to stimulate ambition in boys and girls, and to teach them to become air-minded.” , BRITAIN’S ESTIMATES GREATER GROSS TOTAL (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) LONDON, Saturday. The air estimates are £16,200,000, a decrease of £50,000 on last year, but the gross total of £19,645,000 is actually an increase of £510.000, owing to the larger appropriations. The Secretary for Air, Sir Samuel Hoare, iij his memorandum, mentions that the construction of airships RIOO and 101 is taking longer than was expected. He hoped to see trial flights to Karachi and Montreal made during the year. CAIRO, NOT CROYDON EMPIRE AIRWAYS CENTRE (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Reed. 12.57 p.m. LONDON, Sunday. Interviewed by tbe “Daily Express,” Captain the Right Hon. F. E. Guest, Minister for Air, who has returned from a survey of North Africa, suggests that Cairo instead of Croydon, should be the Imperial centre of commercial aviation. European weather is at present the greatest menace to the success cf the air routes to Australia, India, and the Cape. He realised this on his recent flight, and says he shall never again attempt to fly from Britain to Egypt. Croydon is on the rim of the Empire; Cairo is situated in perfect flying country, at the heart of the projected Empire routes.